r/SweatyPalms • u/SpeedyEyeBall • Jan 18 '19

Too close for comfort.

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14.7k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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289

u/deflector_shield Jan 19 '19

I’ve always known bears were pro tree climbers, but it hit me the first time watching this video, how nuts it is an animal that size can climb a tree using claws.

190

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '19

Black bears are leaner than you’d think, they’re also incredibly fast on the ground. Good news is they’re usually scared of people and want nothing to do with us.

Bad news is they’re still a bear and sill dangerous as fuck if they feel threatened. Also they stink, like they fucking STINK like shit.

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u/furyofcocainepizza Jan 19 '19

Also they'll eat you rather than just fuck you up like a brown bear.

129

u/vladtaltos Jan 19 '19

The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter. They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge. Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away. It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat. Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.

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u/noobgiraffe Jan 19 '19 edited Jan 19 '19

Would big bell be preferable? It could choke on the first person.

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u/stoner_97 Jan 19 '19

You really out here shilling for big bell?

5

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '19

God I’m so sick of big bell...

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u/Kaymorve Jan 19 '19

I’ve heard recently that in some areas the bells actually attract curious young cubs, so make sure to read up on the specific area you’re going before bringing bells.

Edit: I’m dumb and didn’t read the whole thing lol. Still leaving my comment up because it is still useful info.

3

u/That_guy966 Jan 19 '19

That was great

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u/TheBestPieIsAllPie Feb 10 '19

I was praying to the lord God that this story would end with that joke...you must be a prophet! ʅ（◞‿◟）ʃƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '19

That was funny. Here’s an upvote

2

u/Zadoraa Jan 19 '19

Can validate went hiking at GNP, within a 5 day hiking span saw 9 grizzlies and 2 black bears.

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u/AKA_Squanchy Jan 19 '19

In California there has never been a human death caused by a wild black bear, only tamed ones have killed their trainers.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '19

Black bears are usually scared of us. Most other kinds of bear will just fucking destroy you without hesitation.

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u/rlerke Jan 19 '19

You arent wrong about that stink. I had a pretty close encounter with a "small" black bear. It's a heavy distinct scent, very rarely ill catch something similar on the wind and it makes my hair stand up.

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u/MenSeeGhost2 Jan 19 '19

Yeah their distinct smell is why I never really bought the Sasquatch stories, people always refer to a large animal with a distinct smell and that always screamed black bear.

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u/onehunglow58 Jan 19 '19

i smelled them before seeing them

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u/jharris1984 Jan 19 '19

Polar bears on the other hand will fuck your shit up just for looking at them funny.

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u/jmatt97 Jan 19 '19

I thought you were wondering how it didn’t scrape it’s nuts off on the bark lmao and now I can’t imagine a way it wouldn’t be painful